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Recent Herbie Hancock Updates

Herbie Hancock to Take Over as LA Philharmonic Creative Chair

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Grammy award-winning BMI composer Herbie Hancock will assume the role of Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra creative chair next year. The jazz giant intends to pursue a strategy of cultural and musical “cross-pollination,” integrating visual art including dance and media such as computer graphics and film clips, along with miscellaneous music genres including jazz, into performances. Hancock’s duties will include the hiring and mentorship of new musicians, as well as programming…

From News, posted 8.07.09

Sundance Institute Announces Six Fellows for the 2009 Sundance Institute Composers Lab

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The Sundance Institute announced the six musicians selected as Fellows at its 2009 Composers Lab on July 15. The lab runs from July 15 - July 29 at the Sundance Resort in Utah. This year's Composer's Lab Fellows are Kim Carroll, Chanda Dancy, Magda Giannikou, Lili Haydn, Christopher Lord, and David Poe. The selected composers bring an eclectic range of talent to the two-week lab, which focuses on the process…

From News, posted 7.15.09

B.B. King Honored at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Gala

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz gala concert, held October 26 at the Kodak Theatre, honored B.B King with the Founders Award. The event, dedicated to “The Blues and Jazz: Two American Classics,” brought some of the biggest names in music together to pay homage to the two genres of music. Performers included 2008 Grammy Album of the Year recipient Herbie Hancock, Keb’ Mo’,…

From News, posted 11.16.08

BMI Jazz Composers Top ‘Downbeat’ Readers Poll

Downbeat has released its 73rd Annual Readers Poll with BMI jazz composers topping 24 of the 29 categories, accounting for 84% of the winners. These composers represent the “who’s who” of jazz performers and BMI’s dominance in the genre. Sonny Rollins top two categories, Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophone, while the Pat Metheny Trio garnered the Jazz Group award; Pat Metheny himself nabbed the…

From News, posted 11.11.08

Allee Willis: Creativity Without Boundaries

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It’s not every songwriter whose resume includes watching her output help sell over 50 million records, making her Broadway composing debut with the financial blessing of Oprah Winfrey, and keeping an active hand in the worlds of art direction, animation, and performance art, which led People magazine to call her “a multi-threat creativity that itself seems like a Godzilla out to conquer LaLa Land.” Oh, and did we mention that…

From MusicWorld, posted 10.16.08

Terence Blanchard’s ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ Score Celebrated at BMI/SCL Screening

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BMI and The Society of Composers and Lyricists (The SCL) hosted a screening on behalf of BMI composer Terence Blanchard for his score for the Spike Lee film Miracle at St Anna. BMI composer Herbie Hancock moderated a Q&A with Blanchard following the screening for fellow composers, songwriters, lyricists and industry guests. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7…

From News, posted 9.23.08

BMI Composers Lead NEA ’09 Jazz Masters

BMI composers George Benson (guitarist), Jimmy Cobb (drummer), Lee Konitz (saxophonist) and Toots Thielemans (multi-instrumentalist) have been named recipients of the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters Award by the National Endowment for the Arts. The honorees will each receive a $25,000 grant award and will be honored in an awards ceremony and concert on October 17. Additional honorees include…

From News, posted 7.15.08

Soul Singer Curtis Mayfield Honored on RockWalk

At a recent ceremony, legendary BMI singer/songwriter Curtis Mayfield was posthumously inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk. Mayfield's widow Altheida paid tribute to her husband's substantial achievements, which include songs "People Get Ready "and "Keep On Pushing" - dubbed the unofficial anthems of the civil rights movement by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shown are (l to r): BMI's Malik Levy and…

From News, posted 5.23.08

Library of Congress Adds 25 Works to National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress has announced this year’s selection of sound recordings to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. The list, which consists of 25 recordings, featured a wide variety of outstanding spoken and musical recordings that span the years 1925 through 1983. This year's selections include such renowned BMI songwriters and composers as Herbie Hancock (Head Hunters), Michael Jackson (Thriller),

From News, posted 5.14.08

BMI Attends Smashing Celebration

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BMI celebrated the return of one of the most popular rock bands of the 90s, Smashing Pumpkins, by congratulating original members Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin as they were inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk. Held at the Guitar Center on April 23, the ceremony honored the multi-platinum and multi-Grammy award nominees of the Chicago band, who enjoyed such modern-rock hits as "Today" and "1979." Founded in 1985, Hollywood's RockWalk on Sunset…

From News, posted 4.25.08

Monk Institute Sets 2008 Competition Schedule

The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz has announced that the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition finals will take place on Sunday, October 26 at 5 p.m. at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The semi-finals will take place on the campus of UCLA at Schoenberg Hall on Saturday, October 25 from 1-5 p.m. This year’s competition will feature the saxophone, with ten of the world’s most talented young…

From News, posted 3.12.08

Amy Winehouse, Kanye West, Herbie Hancock Lead BMI Grammy Sweep

BMI songwriters, composers and artists made a historically impressive showing February 10 at the 2008 Grammys as they swept the most elite categories of music’s biggest night. Neo-soul chanteuse Amy Winehouse claimed five trophies, including Record, Song and Best New Artist of the Year, while Mark Ronson received Producer of the Year recognition for his stunning work on Winehouse’s Back to Black. Progressive rapper…

From News, posted 2.11.08

Kanye West Leads Grammy Nominees

BMI rap superstar Kanye West will be the top contender at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, earning eight nominations and leading the pack of BMI Grammy Award nominees. The ceremony will broadcast live on February 10 from Los Angeles in the Staples Center. Kanye West Amy Winehouse T-Pain West, a previous six-time…

From News, posted 12.07.07

Rae’s ‘Records’ Wins Honor

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British singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae, currently at Abbey Road Studios working with Herbie Hancock, was presented with her first BMI Pop Award for “Put Your Records On”. The award honors the songwriters, composers, and publishers of the most performed songs on US radio and television for the past 12 months. BMI’s Tabitha Capaldi presented the award to Rae during her recording session for Hancock’s…

From News, posted 11.28.07

Jazz Sensation Receives Gold Badge Award

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UK jazz star Jamie Cullum became the youngest writer at age 26 to receive a prestigious Gold Badge Award, presented by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters on October 24 at The Savoy, Strand, in London. Cullum was born in Essex but grew up in Wiltshire where he absorbed all genres of music, favoring jazz luminaries such as Miles Davis,

From News, posted 11.20.07

Thelonious Monk Composer’s Prize Awarded to Petros Sakelliou

BMI has awarded the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer’s Competition grand prize of $10,000 to Petros Sakelliou of Athens, Greece. The award was presented during the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, held October 28 at the Kodak Theatre. Sakelliou’s winning work, entitled “Swing Along,” was performed by his Boston-based band during the celebration. Pictured (l-r): Monk…

From News, posted 10.31.07

Josh Groban

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Some artists have to pay dues for many years before gaining recognition. Josh Groban is not one of them. While he was still in high school at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, he caught the attention of Grammy-winning producer David Foster. His self-titled debut CD, produced by Foster, went double-platinum and gained him a place on the international music scene…

From MusicWorld, posted 3.25.07

Ron Carter Knows What Makes Jazz Work

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Who better to delineate the delicate dance between composition and improvisation than a veteran of approximately 2,000 recording sessions? “They are fundamentally the same. Jazz composition is the floor that the carpet, which is improvisation, lays on top of, basically,” explains bassist Ron Carter. “It’s hard to say this and not have it sound so simple that anyone can do it because it’s pretty complex. “What jazz composers bring…

From MusicWorld, posted 10.05.06

BMI Awards $10K Monk Prize to Jazz Pianist Kálmán Oláh

Congratulations to jazz pianist Kálmán Oláh, grand prize winner of the 2006 BMI-sponsored Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composer's Competition. The $10,000 award was presented during the Thelonious Monk Institute's 20th Anniversary Gala held Sept. 20 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Oláh's winning work, performed by a group of jazz all-stars during the celebration, was entitled "Always." Listen to the the winning song, "Always"…

From News, posted 9.18.06

BMI Legends Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings Inducted Into Hollywood RockWalk

BMI's Barbara Cane, Tracie Verlinde and Joe Maggini were on hand to celebrate the induction of legendary BMI songwriters Kris Kristofferson and the late Waylon Jennings into the Hollywood RockWalk in Los Angeles. BMI country singer/songwriter Jessi Colter, Jennings' wife, accepted the posthumous induction in his honor.

From News, posted 7.09.06

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